ALT-4 How to Receive a Lousy Gift Graciously
Although it seems that many people have a positive connotation associated with "gifts," a gift is not always a good thing. A gift is bestowed upon you and the reason that we should be grateful for all of the gifts we have been given is because they are not required. The person who gave you a gift most likely put in time, effort, and careful consideration when choosing something that they thought you might like.
There are some situations when gifts are given without a lot of thought, from one person to another, simply as a means of fulfilling a tradition. For example, you may not care whether your sister likes the t-shirt you bought her, you bought it for her anyway.
The act of giving, for whatever reason or motivation, should never be discouraged. Lousy gifts are perceived as "lousy" through selfish eyes only. Your joy should not be in seeing what benefits or disadvantages the gift can or will provide you, you should simply be happy that it was given to you at all, and be grateful that you have something that someone else might not have: a someone who loves you enough to give you something without asking for anything in return.
In conclusion, be thankful and sincere in your thanks when receiving any gift. And remember, if it really is THAT bad, you can most likely return it.
